Welcome to Hogwarts
by Arsha Clarek
Summary: Neville brings someone special to Hogwarts for the first time. My take on how a Mugglle would react when being introduced to Hogwarts.


Disclaimer: I don't pwn Harry Potter. I never will.

Today is my one-year anniversary of being on FanFiction! It's so cool to see all I've accomplished in a year. To celebrate, i decided to finish this story which popped into my head a while ago, but never finished. It's basically what I thought would happen if someone were to bring a muggle to Hogwarts...and who better to do it than Neville!

Let me know what you think!

* * *

"No, Neville, we'll get hurt! Let's go back." She said pulling away.

"I swear, you won't get hurt. Cara, trust me." He coaxed, taking her hand, pleading with his eyes.

"Nev, the signs…."

"…are decoys. To scare people off." He persuaded.

She took a breath. "Wait, _what?_"

"I'm begging you, _please_ just trust me."

And so, Neville took her by the hand and led her through the wards. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment as they approached what appeared to be a deep crevasse. But when she opened her eyes, she gasped. Before her was a huge castle, with sprawling lawns and a distant lake.

"Neville….w-what is this place?" Cara asked her eyes never leaving the scene before her.

"This is…basically, my life." She looked at him with a questioning glance. "This is Hogwarts. It's a school of magic. And, well, I'm a wizard."

She pulled back. "Oh ha-ha. Neville, that's not funny…."

"I can prove it." He pulled out his wand. "What do you want me to do?"

"No. This isn't…no." She turned and stormed off. Neville ran after her as she made her way across the grounds.

"Cara, wait! No!" he yelled as he ran. "It's not safe!"

"Why should I wait?" She said stopping in front of a rather large willow tree. "Your either playing a very bad trick on me or you've been lying to me for nearly four years! You've put yourself in a bad position."

Only he understood the irony as he stopped short, yards from his girlfriend. His eyes flitted from her face to the looming branches overhead. Only when they began to sway casually in their direction did he lunge for Cara. She screamed as he pushed her out of the way, as a large branch hit the ground she had just been standing on. When they landed on the ground his arms were around her and she was panting.

"What…was _that?" _she asked weakly after a moment.

"The Whomping Willow. It's a carnivorous tree."

She laughed humorlessly. "If it hadn't tried to kill me, I wouldn't believe you. But, I do."

He helped her up and lead her to a bench closer to the lake. Both Neville and Cara sat in silence for a moment.

"So, you've been lying to me his entire time?" Cara asked quietly.

"Not _entirely. _I _am _an Herbology professor at a prestigious school. I teach students in all seven grades here the magical properties and potentials of plants."

"Really. This is a prestigious school?" She asked, looking back at the castle in all it's glory.

"Yes. Hogwarts has been around for thousands of years. I'm not sure how many exactly, but we can ask Minerva when we go inside."

"So Minerva's real, too?" Cara asked seriously.

"Please, Cara. I didn't want to keep it a secret. but unfortunately, it's kind of the law."

"_You're joking! A law?"_ He gave her a pointed look. "Sorry."

"No, it's not your fault." He spoke as the pair made their way up to the castle."This is going to be hard for you to accept. I know it is. I just need to ask you a few things..."

"What, Nev?"

" Don't ask 'how does it work?' or say anything along the lines of 'that's not possible.' These things you're going to see...well, in your world, they _are_ impossible. But not here. Not Hogwarts."

"Okay. I can do that. This should be interesting. I can't wait to tell-" Neville stopped her short. He was trying his very best to be patient, something that wasn't normally an issue for him.

"No. Not a _soul_ can know. It's the _law,_ remember?"

Cara felt her stomach drop. "Oh, Neville. I'm so sorry..."

He smiled wearily. He was happy she was here with him, ready to share this part of his life. He looked up at the large stone castle and took her hand as they kept walking. "It's fine. I just _really _need you to understand this, alright? This is a _huge _secret. Not many Muggles know about this place. "

"Muggle?"

"Someone who isn't magical. You're a muggle." He said casually. "Are you still mad at me for not telling you?"

"No...I'm a little frustrated, but that's only because the idea of..._magic..._is just a bit difficult to grasp. But no, I'm not mad, Nev."

He looked down at the woman next to him. She was brave and smiling and in complete awe.

"Let's go, then!" He laughed as the two of them ran across the grounds towards the massive doors. They climbed th large grassy hill and stopped just short of the castle itself and looked out about the grounds. He pointed out the lake, Hagrids hut and the Quidditch pitch with promise to see each eventually.

"What's that place over there?" She asked pointing a bit beyond the pitch, close to the lake.

Neville's face fell as he stared at the . "That's the...the cemetery. About seven years ago, there was a war. It ended there."

"Oh, Neville. You fought so hard, didn't you?" Cara said quietly as she took his hand in hers and squeezed gently. His hand was firm and rough and warm. His hand was strong.

"Your damn right I fought. I fought for everything. We won. But we also lost. That's where Luna is." He said softly, the ghost of a smile on his face at the thought of his first love. Cara didn't know what to say, so she simply squeezed his hand harder.

"But Luna- Luna and Albus and Moody and Lavendar and Colin- they wouldn't want us to be upset about it. They would want people to be happy. " Neville and Cara turned to see Minerva McGonagall leaning against a walking stick, a strong smile on her face. "Is this the famous Cara we've been hearing about?",

"Y-yes, Ma'am." Cara stuttered feeling the odd urge to impress this woman, like she was meeting a future mother-in-law.

"Please, call me Minerva." Cara smiled.

Minerva then turned to Neville with a bemused smile. "You're late. You said you would be here twenty minutes ago. Hermione can hardly sit still and I'm afraid she will soon -how to say- loose it!"

Neville glanced at his watch and his eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, my...I-I-I'm sorry, Profes- _Minerva."_

He blushed at his own mistake. Soon he and Minerva each began to chuckle. "Haven't done that in years."

Cara looked between the two of them, and tried to formulate an explination. "Was she your teacher? ANd Hermione...the same HErmione you've been ffriends with for years? You said once you taught at a school you used to attend...did you come here? "

"Yes. Minerva was my professor for seven years. Then after the war, I applied for an internship in Herbology, and I got in. I've been working here ever since. Hermione joined a few years after me as the Transfiguration professor."

"Neat!" Cara breathed.

"Now let's go inside. Hermione makes some of the best tea I've ever had." Minerva said as she led the couple inside. Cara listened in wonder as Minerva told her little bits of history about the castle. Neville smiled as he saw his girlfriends face. He knew he could trust her. He got a new wind of confidence as his hand brushed against the small velvet box in his pocket. In it: an engagement ring.


End file.
